The baccalaureate program provides a comprehensive academic foundation in the sciences and humanities essential in preparing students for a general nursing role. This program appeals to students wishing to combine general education with professional course work, and serves as the foundation for graduate study. It is recommended that those individuals who desire a career in a specific nursing specialty enter their nursing education at the BSN level.

The goal of the BSN major is to prepare entry level professional nurses who are able to function in many diverse roles. The BSN major takes three years of full-time study to complete. Students typically apply for admission to the major after the completion of a year of pre-nursing general education course work. Admission to the major is competitive. For students who already hold a baccalaureate degree in another discipline, the School of Nursing offers a Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Accelerated Option at the Indianapolis campus.

BSN Traditional Track Admission Requirements

The School of Nursing remains highly committed to providing an exceptional undergraduate education experience. In keeping with the best research evidence regarding factors that predict of student success in schools of nursing, the IUSON has revised our admission policy for traditional students. Students applying for admission to the traditional BSN track (Admission Criteria) for Fall Semester 2016, the admission policy and procedure will reflect the following areas:

Performance in the areas of science and math in prerequisite courses as well as in other General Education required prerequisite courses.

Performance on the TEAS V (Test of Essential Academic Skills), which is a standardized test of academic achievement in four areas that are related to student performance in nursing school.

BSN Traditional Track Degree Requirements and Curriculum

Course work in the BSN curriculum is divided into three separate areas (for a total of 120 credit hours).The baccalaureate curriculum includes one year of pre-nursing general education course work followed by three years of upper division nursing course work. Click here for a Sample BSN Curriculum Degree Map. Students are eligible to apply for admission to the major during the spring semester of their freshman year, provided they will complete a minimum of 29-31 hours of pre-nursing course work by the end of the spring semester. Admission to the major is competitive, based on academic achievement in pre-nursing courses and a pre-admission TEAS V test.

General Education courses help lay the foundation for the nursing courses and also serve to provide the student with a well-rounded education. The General Education portion of the BSN curriculum consists of courses divided into five distinct "Clusters." The five clusters are: Critical/Analytical/Science, Communication, Social & Historical Studies, World Language & World Culture and Arts & Humanities. Students applying to the IU School of Nursing will complete 29-31 credit hours of pre-requisite General Education courses as part of the requirements for the Nursing application.

BSN Nursing Core Courses (75 credit hours)
The heart of the BSN degree are the nursing courses. These courses include lecture, laboratory, and clinical experiences throughout the last three years of a student's education. The nursing core consists of 19 course topics and a total of 75 credit hours.

General Electives (1 credit hour)
One additional credit hour, chosen from any university courses (exception: courses taken for Pass/Fail credit may not be used), are needed to complete the 120 credit hours required for the degree.

Once a student is admitted into the School of Nursing, they may pursue School of Nursing honors. To graduate with honors, a student must work with a faculty sponsor and successfully complete the following:

H399 Honors Proposal Development (3 credit hours)
In this course, students seeking to achieve departmental honors will work with a faculty member in the literature review and development of a research proposal. The proposal will be the basis for the honors study completed in H499 the subsequent semester. This is an individually negotiated course requiring faculty approval prior to enrollment.

H499 Honors Research (3 credit hours)
After completion of H399, students pursuing departmental honors will work with a faculty member to implement the research study designed in H399. After data collection and analysis, the student will prepare a manuscript of the study suitable for publication. This is an individually negotiated course requiring faculty approval prior to enrollment.

Honors thesis or article for publication, approved by the faculty sponsor.

BSN Program Outcomes

All graduates of the Bachelor's Degree Program are expected to demonstrate the following qualities as:

To become a Registered Nurse, students must complete the degree requirements of an accredited BSN program, apply for licensure by examination and satisfactorily complete the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX).

For more information about the Pre-Licensure BSN degree offered at IUB